Modern slavery and human trafficking statement
Modern slavery and human trafficking statement
This statement is made pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 which requires businesses to produce a statement each year setting out the steps they have taken to ensure that their business and supply chains are slavery free. This statement details the steps taken by Urschel International Limited’s financial year ending on 31 December 2021.
This statement has been published on Urschel International Limited’s website in accordance with section 54(7) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. A link to this document is directly visible on the company’s home page.
"Modern slavery" is a term which covers slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking. It includes exercising ownership over a person; coercing or threatening someone to perform work they would not do voluntarily; providing pay and working conditions that fall below minimum standards set by law (even where the individuals agree); and arranging or facilitating another person's travel with a view to them being exploited (even where the person consents to the travel).
Urschel International Limited takes a robust stance against slavery and human trafficking and is committed to ethical trading.
We oppose slavery and human trafficking in all its forms and make this statement to set out the steps we have taken and shall continue to take to ensure that there is no slavery or human trafficking in our business or in our supply chains.
About us
We are a business manufacturing and selling commercial food cutting equipment to the food processing and allied industries.
Our parent company is Urschel Laboratories Inc. which is based in the United States of America.
Our annual turnover including our subsidiary companies is just over £38 million.
Urschel International Limited has seven subsidiary companies, which also sell food-cutting equipment. These subsidiary companies are in Poland, France, Argentina, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany and are:-
Urschel International Polska Sp. z.o.o.
SCI Urschel Laboratoires
Urschel LatinoAmerica, S.R.L
Urschel Espana S.L,
Urschel B.V.
Urschel AG
Urschel Deutschland GmbH
This statement is made on behalf of Urschel International Limited and its subsidiaries.
Our supply chains are mainly made up of the following:
- Our Parent company in the United States of America makes up in the region of 80% to 90% of our supply chain - it supplies (to us and our subsidiary companies) the vast majority of parts and cutting equipment.
The remaining supply chain is made up of:-
- Suppliers for new and refurbished component parts, tools and motors
- Electrical parts and wiring installation; and
- Metal sheet fabrication works.
- Miscellaneous (stationery and office supplies, building repairs, transport, legal and professional services, etc).
This statement reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our business or supply chains.
Our policies on slavery and human trafficking
We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains.
We have zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking. To ensure all those in our supply chain and contractors comply with our values we carefully select suppliers and contractors.
Further, and as part of our policy to mitigate the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking, we assess potential risk areas in our supply chains and monitored our supply chains. As part of this we consider the following measures where appropriate:
- Vet suppliers to ensure that they are committed to ethical labour practices before placing orders with new suppliers.
- Including anti-slavery and human trafficking provisions in our contracts with suppliers.
- Where judged appropriate, visited new and existing suppliers to ensure adherence to our standards of ethically transparent supply chains.
- Requested Suppliers where judged appropriate to report to us the steps that they are taking to eliminate modern slavery and asked to review their own anti-slavery and human trafficking policies.
- To request written confirmation from our suppliers that no agency worker is being exploited as part of any slavery or human trafficking.
- Our parent company has also provided us with their commitment to ethical labour practices.
Agency Workers
- We have only employed agency workers through reputable employment agencies that will adhere to our anti-slavery and human trafficking policy.
- All agency staff are made aware of how to raise concerns.
- In order to ensure that there is no forced, bonded or child labour, we require the production of evidence of date of birth and a copy of a passport or other right to work documentation. Customers
- We co-operate with our major customers to ensure that we comply with any employment practices and procedures specified in their audits including their systems to mitigate the risks of slavery and human trafficking.
Employees
- Checked that all new employees have the right to work in the UK;
- There is no forced, bonded or involuntary labour.
- All overtime is voluntary.
- Provide training on the Company’s stance on modern slavery and human trafficking;
- To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we have and shall continue to provide training to our staff.
- We may also require our business partners to provide training to their staff and suppliers and providers.
- We recognise that training is a fundamental way to raise awareness. The training we provide will often form part of an induction process for new employees to help them to understand the organisation's stance on slavery and human trafficking, and we are committed where we deem it appropriate to provide further training throughout the course of employment.
Penalties for Breach
- If a supplier is found to be involved in any form of modern slavery, its contract may be terminated either immediately or on its due renewal date, depending on the severity of the breach.
- If it is established that any employee has acted in breach of any of our policies, or is aware of, has condoned or failed to report any suspicion of modern slavery within our business or supply chains, they will be subject to the Company’s disciplinary procedure.
- If an agency is found to be involved in any form of modern slavery, the arrangement with it shall be terminated.
Our effectiveness in combatting slavery and human trafficking
- We have used the following key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure how effective we have been to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any part of our business or supply chains:
• Maintain a record of any new suppliers and a record of any checks performed;
• Record, monitor and follow-up any complaints by our employees through our grievance/whistleblowing procedures;
• Maintain a record and the outcomes of visits to suppliers;
• Maintain a record of all suppliers and agencies where we terminate relationships due to modern slavery breaches.
This slavery and human trafficking statement is made in connection with section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our Group's slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 December 2021.
It was approved by the Board of directors on 5th July 2022 in accordance with section 54(6) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Richard Cranefield
Director
URSCHEL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
